The township of Victoria Falls lies on the southern bank of the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. The falls themselves, which are said to be the world's largest, are located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, just 2-3 km east of the town.
Zambezi on Zambezi
I arrived in Zimbabwe with just enough time to make the sunset cruise on the Zambezi river, which was a lovely way kick things off. Much of the wildlife we spotted was a little distant, but there were plenty of hippos and crocs to be found.
White Water Rafting
White water rafting was up the next day, which I wasn't overly keen on. I had only just arrived the previous night, so kind of jet lagged, and no-one wanted to talk about the elephant in the room... well, croc actually.
Apparently, they don't go passed the falls. Sure they don't.
As if that wasn't enough, the walk down to the river, was muddy, slippery and almost vertical. Almost. Nothing in the brochure about that.
Remarkably, the guys running the tour literally ran past everyone, while carrying the rafts and equipment.
After the usual safety chat (and still no mention of crocs), we got underway. It was tough going, but equally exhilarating. In one section, we were allowed to jump off the raft for a swim. I didn't want to be that guy, so despite my reservations, I reluctantly complied.
When the tour was over, we then had to make our way out of the gorge, much the same way as we arrived. Mercifully, there was a beer, and a light lunch, waiting for us when we emerged.
Just like before, the tour guys carried all their gear up the steep incline like it was flat. Remarkably, one of them also carried a woman who had twisted her ankle - for around 20 minutes, almost straight up. An amazing feat of fitness.
All in all, it was an awesome experience.
Victoria Falls
The following day was New Years Eve, and we were headed to Johannesburg, in order to make our way to Tanzania for our safari, via Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro. It seemed like we had enough on our plate that day, but we hadn't yet seen the falls.
it rained during our first attempt, so we tried again later in the day, but there was a still lot of spray and mist. Nonetheless, the falls are magnificent, if not a little difficult to grasp and capture from ground level.
Victoria Falls Hotel
On the whole, this trip (including the safari) was not a cheap exercise. As if they are ever are. So, we elected not to blow the budget on accommodation. But that didn't stop us from taking a last minute sneak peek at the luxurious Victoria Falls Hotel. Meh.
